from the tie-them-together dept

Over the last few years, it's been great to see more people realize that capitalism and philanthropy are not mutually exclusive concepts. When Google launched its philanthropic foundation, the biggest news was the fact that it was designed as a for profit entity, rather than the typical non-profit. The NY Times is now writing about this trend for new philanthropic organizations to also be for-profit organizations, recognizing that many of them have found they can do much more "good" by also focusing on a way to make a profit. As we pointed out when Bill Gates called for "kinder capitalism," a full understanding of capitalism would suggest that there's plenty of kindness baked in. There is benefit in doing good, and just because there's a profit motive behind some things, that doesn't mean it's at odds with doing good. It's great to see that more philanthropic organizations are recognizing that as well.